RAJSHAHI, Sept 02: Finally, two employees of Rajshahi University, who were in charge of overseeing the archaeological site 'Boro Kuthi', have vacated the rooms where they used to live with family members, on Sunday noon.
They left the Boro Kuthi as soon as a six-member team including a custodian and an engineer from the Department of Archaeology arrived in Rajshahi on Sunday morning to take possession of the heritage building.
After the arrival, members of the archaeological team submitted letters to the Vice-Chancellor of Rajshahi University and the Deputy Commissioner of Rajshahi to assist them in freeing the historical building from occupation.
By this time, an employee of RU who had been living with family members in two rooms of the building has left the rooms with his family and belongings. Another employee who was working as a guard of the building also left the scene the same time.
But keys of closed rooms of the building have not been handed over to the archaeological team members.
Sources from the Department of Archaeology informed, considering archaeological and historical significance, the government has declared Boro Kuthi as "preserved relic" on May 3 last year and it was published in Bangladesh Gazette through a notification dated June 21 last year.
On July 26 last year, Department of Archaeology issued a letter to the authorities of Rajshahi University to free the building from occupation but RU authorities did not take any action in this regard.
Moreover, an employee of RU had been staying with family inside the building and the building was being rented as a community centre. On Friday last the building was rented to a staff of Rajshahi City Corporation at Tk 1,000 for arranging functions of marriage ceremony of his daughter.
Following the publication of the news in national dailies a six- member archaeological team headed by custodian Abu Sayed Inam Tanvirul arrived in Rajshahi from Rangpur.
The team members include an engineer and four gardeners. The gardeners started to clean the Boro Kuthi building but due to absence of key of the locks of the building, the restoration work of the building could not be started.
Abu Sayed informed, due to absence of repair and renovation, the entire building has now become vulnerable and may collapse any time. The building needs to be repaired and preserved on an emergency basis. The works of repair and renovation of the building will be started during the current fiscal year, he mentioned.
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